Consumer Electronics Show: What's to come 1-6-99

CBS.MarketWatch.com

LAS VEGAS (CBS.MW) -- Cool technologies for mobile phones, computing and antennas figure prominently at this week's Consumer Electronics Show, and high-definition television is likely to grab the spotlight once again.

HDTV, which offers clearer pictures and CD-quality sound, has been all the rage for early-adopter techies who love their TVs. The Federal Communications Commission has set this November as a deadline for broadcasters in the top 30 U.S. markets to carry digital broadcasting. And yet, the actual boxes -- with their price tags running up to $10,000 -- have a ways to go before they capture the public's attention.

Shapiro sees the appeal of high-definition television broadening beyond rich techies. The Consumer Electronics Manufacturers Association, sponsor of the show that kicked off Wednesday, found in surveys that 7 out of 10 Americans want to venture to a store to check out high-definition television in the next year.

Analysts at Forrester Research, however, recently predicted that HDTV would be a failure because of the high cost.

Most industry professionals coming to the trade show, now in its 32nd year, probably have experienced high-definition television. But if they haven't, CBS (CBS)
CBS, -0.26%
is giving them a taste of what the future of television may look like by broadcasting a National Football League playoff game Sunday, Shapiro said. (CBS is a 50 percent owner of MarketWatch.com, the publisher of this report.)

"HDTV's going to be very, very visible with a presence here, but there's a lot of other things going on," Shapiro said.

It's not all HDTV

Everything from satellite dishes to new telecommunications products will be introduced in the five day-long conference, which was expected to attract more than 90,000 visitors and showcase 25,000 products.

On Thursday, Howard Stringer, president of Sony Corp. of America, is slated to kick things off with a speech on how consumer technology and Hollywood are meshing, particularly with HDTV. John Chambers, chief executive of Cisco Systems (CSCO)
CSCO, +0.81%
, will deliver the show's technology keynote speech on Internet economy issues.

The entertainment industry and the tech world will also be featured in a new series of sessions entitled "Digital Hollywood."

"The Internet's a big part of that," Shapiro said. One session Thursday, called "In the Eye of the Internet Networks," will feature chief executives and presidents from Lycos (LCOS)
LCOS
, Broadcast.com (BCST)
BCST
, Excite (XCIT)
XCIT
and Infoseek (SEEK)
SEEK, +0.00%
, among other well-known Internet companies.

Sessions in Digital Hollywood focus on everything from online retailing, or "e-tailing," to video and software games. But much of the emphasis again will be on digital television.

Friday, a "super session" on digital television will be held, led with a speech by CBS Chairman and Chief Executive Michael Jordan.

Intraday Data provided by SIX Financial Information and subject to terms of use. Historical and current end-of-day data provided by SIX Financial Information. All quotes are in local exchange time. Real-time last sale data for U.S. stock quotes reflect trades reported through Nasdaq only. Intraday data delayed at least 15 minutes or per exchange requirements.